St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, is the founder of the ancient church in India around 52 AD. Christian writers and historians from the 4th century refer to the evangelistic work of Apostle Thomas in India, and the Indian Christians ascribe the origin of their church to the labours of the apostle in the 1st century.
The name, Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Syrian Church, refers to the section of the St. Thomas Christians of India, that Canonically came under Catholicate of the East whose Supreme Head is His Holiness The Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan, with head quarters at Devalokam, Kottayam, Kerala, India. St. Thomas Christians at present belong to ten different churches and denominations. The Malankara Orthodox Church is one among them and it is the second largest.
(Reproduced with edits from: HG Late Dr.Paulose Mar Gregorios, The Malankara Orthodox Church: A historical perspective, Malankara Sabha, May 1996)
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